Dismantle was on the radio! Earlier this month Johno Montgomery, our Programs Director, did a killer interview on the ABC Radio Perth’s Saturday Breakfast Program.
The Meet Me on the Corner segment had a war on waste theme that week. Johno talked about how Dismantle uses old bikes as a really effective tool to engage at-risk kids. Here’s some audio we captured from the interview – it’s not the best quality, but Johno is, so that balances it out.
Dismantle has recently thrown its hat into the ring as a Workplace Giving Charity. That means that staff at organisations with Workplace Giving programs can donate pre-tax wages to causes they’re into.
It’s part of the One Million Donors Campaign the Government set up in 2014. The project is overseen by the Australian Charities Fund, the not-for-profit social enterprise that conceived the idea of workplace giving programs. One Million Donors aims to get one million people Australians donating through their workplace by 2020.
The program itself makes heaps of sense. Employees are happy because giving feels good and they get to be part of something bigger; employers are happy because their staff are happy (improved productivity, morale, retention and recruitment); and Dismantle is happy because we get some money for our programs, plus general awareness and support across the business sector.
Check out the campaign if you’re part of a workplace that might want to get involved. It’s a really easy way to support Dismantle’s work. There’s a toolkit for employers on the website where you can download a project plan, figure out which charities your employees want to support, sort out the logistics with payroll and more.
For more information about how you may be able to support Dismantle, through Workplace Giving or otherwise, check out the Workplace Giving page in the 'Support Us' section of our website.
Dismantle’s two shipping containers are moving from Esplanade Park in Fremantle, after six-and-a-half years on the site. And we need your help.
The containers represent a really special period in Dismantle’s history. They were installed in the park at the end of 2011, back then the organisation was being founded by a group of enthusiastic, community-minded people who were figuring out ways to use bikes for positive change.Since then, the organisation has accomplished so much, supporting kids doing it tough in Perth and all across regional WA.
Meanwhile, the containers have seen heaps action. They were Dismantle’s HQ until we moved into an office on Cantonment Street in mid 2012; Dismantle ran some of its first BikeRescue programs out of them; and they were the site of our Community Bicycle Workshop, a volunteer driven project the organisation ran at the beginning. They’ve been the starting and ending points of Tweed Runs, they’ve been canvases for Fast Track participants, they’ve been invaluable storage facilities for our programs, and in 2014 they became part of the Esplanade Youth Plaza.
Since then, the organisation has grown and changed, the Esplanade Youth Plaza has changed. Despite hundreds of hours of work over the last three years to use the space, in the end of a lack of resources got us – as it does for lots of charities – and we just couldn’t make it work in the long term. Ultimately we have to focus on our core purpose.
The containers will be moving in the next few weeks. They’ll be donated to other organisations who share our social mission: to enable young people in difficult situations to reach their full potential.
However, we’re going to need some help to get them on their way. There’s a huge amount of paperwork and logistics to figure out first. We’re passionate youth workers, not construction management experts, and we’re struggling to get it done on our own. If anyone out there has experience with site management, logistics and planning, please get in touch.
Jake is the one in the green hoodie, second from the left.
Jake, a BikeRescue Graduate from Youth Futures Clarkson, is a stickler for detail. During the program, he went above and beyond to make sure his bikes were working perfectly. As a result, and because of his many other strengths, he’s been selected to become our newest BikeDr Trainee.
The BikeDr traineeship is a structured, 6-week program. Jake will spend one day a week with BikeDrs Luke, Fletch and Shelby, following them around on their missions around town, gaining sales and customer service experience in the shop, and honing his mechanic’s skills. Afterwards, he will be offered a recommendation and a reference to help him gain future employment.
Bike Dr Trainees are offered to 3% of our BikeRescue graduates 3% of are selected based on the following criteria:
- a high level of problem solving ability,
- a high work ethic
- commitment in attendance
- leadership capabilities
Jake has shown all of these and more. We’re very excited to see where he’ll go next. Good luck Jake!